Bolster bracket for convertible furniture



Dec. 14, 1965 R. H. OSBORNE BOLSTER BRACKET FOR CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 26, 1962 Dec. 14, 1965 R. H. OSBORNE 3,222,691

BOLSTER BRACKET FOR CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Filed April 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 2,44 0,4 M 05502:-

United States Patent Gflice 3,2216% Patented Dec. 14, 1965 3,222,691 BQILSTER BRAQKET FUR CUNVERTIELE FURNITURE Ralph H. Ushorne, 167d Gcean Ave, Santa Monica, Calif. Fitted Apr. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 1%,416 I (Claim. Cl. 5-59) This invention relates generally to lounge chairs or sofas which are convertible into beds. More particularly, the invention relates to a convertible sofa which incorporates in its structure a novel and useful frame including a pair of foldable bolster brackets for providing an article of furniture that is easily convertible into a bed.

At present, the best sleeping comfort is generally acknowledged to be provided by a bed including a box spring and mattress. As is well known, most sofas which are convertible into beds do not use a box spring which cannot be folded or easily accommodated within the lounge chair or sofa in its closed condition. Divans, on the other hand, not having a back or arms, can be constructed to include a box spring and mattress as in a bed. However, such divans are not as comfortable for sitting purposes as the convertible sofas which at least have a back to recline against. While couches have been built with backrests, and incorporating box springs and mattresses, such couches are quite bulky and require considerable floor space to accommodate them.

It is an object of this invention to rovide a sofa which is easily convertible into a bed including a box spring and mattress.

Another object of the invention is to provide a convertible sofa which has a backrest positioned at a com fortable distance from the sitting edge thereof, and which backrest can be easily removed completely away from the sleeping area of the lounge chair or sofa in converting the same into a bed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sofa which is convertible into a bed including a box spring and mattress but is not bulky and so occupies minimum floor space in either the sofa or bed condition.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a frame structure, in a convertible lounge chair or sofa, including foldable bolster brackets for forming a backrest which simultaneously serves as a storage compartment in the chair condition, and is easily removable from the sleeping area in converting to the bed condition.

Briefly, and in general terms, the foregoing and other objects are preferably accomplished by providing a frame adapted to mount and support a box spring and mattress, the frame including a pair of right-angularly bent channel members each having a generally horizontal section and vertical section respectively attaching the ends of a pair of rail members and a pair of bolster brackets. The pair of rail members are adapted to mount and support the box spring and mattress, while the pair of bolster brackets are adapted to mount a bolster and provid a backrest for the box spring and mattress when used as a sofa. The bolster brackets each comprise four channel members which are pivotally connected together at the ends to form an irregular quadrilateral, The channel members of the brackets are used to mount and attach the ends of a top panel and a front bolster. The brackets are fastened to respective vertical sections of the pair of rightangularly bent channel members of the frame, and the quadrilateral is such as to position the bolster at an inclined angle on the mattress at a comfortable distance from the slitting edge thereof. The bolster brackets are foldable into a flat, vertical member which raises and moves the bolster above and away from the sleeping surface area of the mattress when the box spring and mattress are used as a bed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent, and the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention to be taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a frame according to this invention as used in a convertible sofa generally indicated in phantom lines;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the convertible sofa of FIGURE 1 including the frame;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a bolster bracket;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of a corner of the bolster bracket taken in the direction of the arrow 4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the corner of the bolster bracket taken along the line 5-5 a indicated in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the bolster bracket taken along the line 66 as indicated in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of the bolster bracket in a folded condition; and

FIGURE 8 is a frontal plan view of the folded bolster bracket taken in the direction of the arrow 8 shown in FIGURE 7.

A convertible sofa having a frame structure including a pair of foldable bolster brackets for providing a removable backrest and storage compartment for the sofa is shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Only the frame structure of the sofa is shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1 for clarity of illustration, the remainder being indicated in phantom lines. Phantom lines are also used in FIGURE 2 to illustrate the position of the backrest structure when the convertible sofa is converted into a bed.

Referring to these figures, the convertible sofa is generally designated by the numeral l0, and includes a frame structure generally designated by the numeral .12. The frame structure 12 includes a pair of right-angularly bent channel members 14 and 16, each having a generally horizontal section 13 and vertical section 20. The channel members 14 and 16 have horizontal sections 18 in which the side flanges are downward, and vertical sections 20 in which the side flanges are backward or to the rear. Thus, the horizontal sections 18 each have a pair of parallel side flanges 22 connected by a horizontal web 24. Similarly, the vertical sections 21 have a pair of parallel side flanges 26 connected by a vertical web 23. Mounted between the parallel side flanges 22 and attached to the horizontal web 24 of the horizontal sections 18 of the pair of channel members 14 and 16, are four legs 30 for supporting the sofa It The pair of channel members 14 and 16 are connected together by a pair of rail members 32 and 34. These rail members 32 and 34- are suitably Welded or bolted to the channel members 14 and 16. As can be seen in FIG- URES l and 2, the rail members are right-angular corner bracket rails which are mounted to the channel members 14 and I6. The front rail member 32 is mounted with the bracket corner open downwards and to the rear so that the vertical flange is positioned against the ends of the horizontal sections 18, and the horizontal flange is contacting the surface of the horizontal webs 24. The rear rail member 34, however, has its right-angular bracket angle open upwards and towards the front so that the bracket angle fits within and against the right-angular corners of the channel members 14 and 16.

The rail members 32 and 34 mount and support a box spring 36 and a mattress 38 on top of it. Attached to the lower front edge of the box spring 36 by screws, for example, is a pair of spacer plates 40. Similarly attached to the rear lower edge of the box spring 36 is a pair of hook brackets 42. The hook bracket-s 42 slidably engage the vertical flange of the rear rail member 34 when the box spring 36 is correctly positioned on the rails 32 and 34. In this position, the spacer plates 40 rest on the horizontal flange of the front rail member 32. The box spring 36 and mattress 38 are, of course, normally positioned evenly lengthwise on the rails 32 and 34.

The frame structure 12 includes a pair of bolster brackets 44 and 46 which are attached to the upper ends of the vertical sections 20 of the channel members 14 and 16, as shown in FIGURES l and 2. Each bolster bracket comprises four channel members 48, 50, S2 and 54, which are pivotally pinned together at or near the ends to form an irregular quadrilateral. The channel member 48 is a vertical member which is fastened flushly against the vertical web 28 of a vertical section 20 by a pair of screws 56 through elongated slots in the channel member 48. The channel member 50 is horizontally disposed a little above the end of the vertical section 20, as shown in FIGURE 2. The ends of a top panel 58 are respectively fastened to the channel members 50 of bolster brackets 44 and 46. As can been seen in FIGURE 2, the front and rear edges of the top panel 58 preferably do not extend beyond the ends of the channel member 50 so that the edges of the top panel 58 will not interfere with other structure in either the folded or unfolded positions of the bolster brackets.

The channel members 52 are inclined forwardly, as shown in FIGURE 2, to mount a bolster 60 at a comfortable angle for a person sitting on the sofa to lean against. The bolster 60 includes a backing panel 62, which is attached near the ends to the channel members 52. As can be seen most clearly in FIGURE 2, the lower edge of the bolster 60 rests against the surface of the mattress 38 at a comfortable distance from the front edge thereof when the bolster brackets are in the unfolded condition, and the rear edge of the top panel does not interfere with the upper edge of the vertical sections when the bolster brackets are in a folded condition indicated in phantom lines in FIGURE 2. The lower channel members 54 are disposed at an angle from the horizontal so that the front ends thereof are raised so that the channel members 54 serve as braces against the weight of a person against the bolster 60. The resulting shape of the irregular quadrilateral of each bolster bracket produces a firm and stable backrest for the sofa 10.

Cover drapes 64 are provided at the ends of the backrest to cover the bolster brackets 44 and 46 from view. The upper edge of these drapes can be secured between the upper surface of channel member 50 and the lower surface near the edges of the top panel 58. The lower edges of the drapes 64 can be suitably weighted to keep the drapes in place when the bolster brackets are in the unfolded condition. The backrest structure thus simultaneously provides a substantially closed storage compart ment between the bolster brackets 44 and 46 under the top panel 58 and behind the bolster 60. A rear panel or weighted drape can be additionally provided between the vertical channel members 48 to fully enclose the storage compartment if desired. However, this is actually unnecessary since there is adequate space in the storage compartment, and the lounge chair or sofa is normally til 4 positioned against a wall so that large articles such as pillows or bedding would not fall out of the compartment.

The sofa 10 is converted into a bed by simply raising the bolster 60 which folds each of the irregular quadrilateral bolster brackets into a flat vertical member. This raises and moves the bolster 60 above and away from the sleeping surface area of the mattress 38. The drapes 64 are also folded together into a substantially vertical and narrow group of convolutions. The foldable bolster brackets are shown in detail in FIGURES 3 through 8. A perspective view of a bolster bracket in an unfolded condition forming an irregular quadrilateral is shown in FIGURE 3.

The channel members 48, 50, 52 and 54 are pivotally pinned together at the ends so that the side flanges of each member are disposed toward the center of the quadrilateral, and the webs of the members are located at the outermost periphery of the quadrilateral. The vertical member 48 has two slots 66 located in the web 68 of the member 28. The bolster bracket is adjustably attached to one of the vertical sections 20 by screws 56 passing through these slots 66. The horizontal member 50 also has two holes in its web for passing screws (not shown) through these holes to engage and fasten the ends of the top panel 58. Similarly, the channel member 52 has two holes 70 in its Web 72 through which screws (not shown) are passed to engage the backing panel 62 of the bolster 60. The lower channel member 54 has circular cutouts 74 made in the edges of side flanges 76 along an axis which is parallel to the pivot axes of the corners of the quadrilateral.

The width of the web 68 of the vertical channel member 48 is slightly less than the width of the web of the horizontal channel member 50. The width of the web 72 of the front channel member 52 is the same as the width of the web 68 of the vertical channel member 48. The width of the web 78 of the lower channel member 54 is less than the width of the web 72 of channel member 52. The side flanges of the vertical member 48 are further offset inwardly at the ends so that the lower ends of the side flanges will closely bracket the side flanges 76 of the lower channel member 54. The horizontal channel member 50 also has its side flanges offset inwardly at the ends so that the ends will closely bracket the upper offset ends of the channel member 48 and the side flanges of the front channel member 52.

The lower offset ends of the side flanges of the channel member 48 are pivotally riveted by rivets 80 to the left ends of the side flanges 76 of the lower channel member 54. Similarly, the right offset ends of the horizontal channel member 50 are pivotally secured by rivets 82, respectively, to the upper ends of the side flanges of the front channel member 72. The right ends of the side flanges 76 of the lower channel member 54 are pivotally secured to points near the lower end of the front channel member 52 by rivets 84 engaging the side flanges thereof. The offset ends of the side flanges at the upper and left ends of the channel members 48 and 50 are pivotally pinned on the shaft of a bolt 86 mounting a torsion spring 88. The width of the webs, and therefore separation of the side flanges of the channel members, are such that the quadrilateral can be folded together into a substantially straight and flat member wherein the circular cutouts 74 are positioned over the torsion spring 88 in the folded condition of the quadrilateral.

The torsion spring 88 is suitably mounted on the bolt 86 so as to spring-load the quadrilateral normally into a folded condition. The mounting arrangement of the torsion spring on the bolt 86 is shown more clearly in FIGURES 4 and 5. As can be seen in these figures, the end of the bolt 86 passes through an end disc 90 which has a neck portion 92 passing through the side flanges of the channel members 48 and 50, the head portion 94 engaging the outside surface of the side flange of the channel member 48. The disc 90 is held in place by a lock ring 96 which engages the end of the shaft of bolt 86.

A series of radial spanner wrench holes 93 are located on the side of the head portion 94 equidistantly around the circumference thereof. A pin 160 is press-fitted into one of the holes 98, and the head of the pin 100 normally engages the lower surface of a bent-out ta'b portion 102 of the channel member 50. The head of the pin 100 is spring-loaded by the torsion spring 88 so that it applies a force up against the tab 102 to cause the horizontal channel member St to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 4. This is accomplished by having an end 104 of spring 88 engage a hole 106 longitudinally disposed in the neck portion 92 of the disc 90, and having the other end 103 of the torsion spring engage the web 68 of the vertical channel member 48. The torsion spring 88 is, of course, tensed or wound sufficiently to provide a desired force up against the tab 102. Thus, the quadrilateral bolster bracket is normally biased to be in a folded condition.

The weight of the bolster 69 and top panel 48, however, are sufiicient to hold the quadrilateral in an unfolded condition when the bolster is moved forwardly and downwardly sufficient to provide an adequate moment arm such that the weight of the bolster 60 and top panel 58 overcomes the force of the torsion spring 88. The torsion spring 88 provides a counterforce which aids in balancing the weight of bolster 60 and top panel 58 until the moment arm is reduced sufficiently so that the force of the torsion spring 88 would hold the bolster 60 and top panel 58 in a raised condition wherein the quadrilateral is reduced to a flat and straight member. As an added precaution, or if a stronger spring force is used, it is of course possible to provide a suitably located catch for engaging a part of the backrest structure when the quadrilateral is fully opened or unfolded. Such a catch is actually unnecessary, and the configuration of the quadrilateral is such that a stable and firm backrest is provided to support the weight of persons sitting on the mattress 38 and leaning against the bolster 60.

A stable and firm backrest support is provided by the quadrilateral by virtue of its particular configuration, and also by the cooperative structure of the different channel members. Referring to FIGURE 6, which is a sectional view taken along the line 66 as indicated in FIGURE 5, it can be seen that the ends of the side flanges of the different channel members cooperate structurally with the webs thereof when the quadrilateral is fully open or unfolded. The edges 110 of the upper ends of the side flanges of the vertical channel member 48 engage the end of the web of the horizontal channel member 50. The edges 112 of the upper ends of the side flanges of the channel member 52 similarly engage the right end of the web of the channel member 50. The edges 114 of the right ends of the side flanges of the channel member 54 engage the web '72 of the channel member 52, and the left edges 116 of the ends of the side flanges of the lower channel member 54 similarly engage the lower end of the Web 68 of the vertical channel member 48, when the quadrilateral is in a properly unfolded or open condition. It is to be noted that not all four corners of the quadrilateral need be constructed so that all of the ends would engage structure of an adjacent channel member. However, it is desirable that at least two diagonally opposite corners should have mutually engaging structure between channel members. Further, it is also desirable that at least two corners, which can be diagonally opposite, have significant lengths of edges, such as 110 and 114, engage the corresponding Web of adjacent channel members, in order to provide a strong and solid quadrilateral.

When the quadrilateral is in a folded condition, the edges 118 and 120 of the webs of the channel members 50 and 48, respectively, meet together in a line as shown in FIGURE 7. The lower channel member 54 and the front channel member 52 are folded flat so that the side flanges thereof fit in close proximity between the side flanges of the channel members 48 and 50 which are also folded flat. As can be seen in FIGURE 8, the lower edge 122 of the web 72 of the front channel member 52 overlaps the web 78 of the lower channel member 54. FIGURE 7 also shows how the cutouts 74 accommodate the torsion spring 88 and how the moment arm about the axis of the bolt 86 of the weight of the bolster 60 that is attached to the web 72 would be greatly reduced in the folded condition of the quadrilateral. FIGURE 8 also shows clearly how the inward offsetting of the ends of the side flanges of the channel members would provide tight pivots at the corners of the quadrilateral, which would not misalign the different channel members, to produce a straight and flat folded member.

Thus, a highly desirable convertible lounge chair or sofa is provided with the use of the novel and useful frame structure including a pair of foldable bolster brackets as described above. The invention can, of course, be modified to suit or adapted to different lounge chair or sofa structures. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention described above, and shown in the drawings, is merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that various changes in design, structure and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the broader of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a frame structure for convertible lounge chair or sofa, a bolster bracket comprising:

a first elongated member adapted to be secured to a vertically extending section of a mounting member, said first member being a channel member having a pair of side flanges extending substantially at right angles from an intersecting web;

a second elongated member of a predetermined length,

said second. member being a channel member similar to said first member and additionally having a bent-out tab at a corner of one of its side flanges;

a third elongated member, said third member being a channel member similar to said first member and adapted to mount a bolster to its web;

a fourth elongated member of length greater than that of said second member, said fourth member being a channel member similar to said first member and additionally having axially aligned cutouts intersecting the edges of its side flanges;

pivot means axially perpendicular to said side flanges connecting said elongated member substantially from end to end, said side flanges of said elongated members having end edges engaging structure of adjacent Webs to form a collapsible quadrilateral with the first member normally extending in a substantially vertical plane, the second member extending in a substantially horizontal plane, the third. member normally inclined outward and downward from the second member and the fourth member normally inclined upward from a horizontal plane, the third and fourth members being foldable into the first and second members with said side flanges extending from said Webs toward the center of said quadrilateral, said pivot means connecting said first member to said second member including a bolt secured axially perpendicular to said side flanges;

and torsion spring means including a torsion spring mounted on the shaft of said bolt, a disc rotatably mounted on the end of said shaft, and a pin aflixed to said disc for engaging said bent-out tab, one end of said torsion spring being disposed. to engage structure of said first member and the other end being disposed to rotatably engage said disc, such that said second member is rotatably urged into alignment with said first member and said. quadrilateral is simultaneously biased to the folded condition, whereby UNITED References Cited by the Examiner STATES PATENTS Smith 297-445 X Franks 5-310 X Paifrath 248-439 Luppino 5-59 X Porter 248-2403 Zierden 248-284 8 5/1944 Hurley 248-205 5/1951 Brands 5-238 3/1952 Olson 5-238 9/1954 Long 248-284 X 6/1955 Poyer 5-59 3/1958 Lehmann 248-190 X 4/1961 Roche et a1. 5-59 5/1961 Goldberg 5-285 9/1961 Rea 5-59 X 9/1961 MacNeary 248-439 X FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1949 Canada.

15 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

